New Orleans Coach Monty Williams always preaches good defense

At his summer basketball camp Monday at the Alario Center, New Orleans Hornets Coach Monty Williams was seen giving some of the tallest participants pointers on passing and shooting. Whether conducting a camp for youths or putting his players through practices, Williams has a fondness for developing post players.

Several players credit Williams for helping them develop quickly. New Orleans small forward Al-Farouq Aminu and forward Jason Smith said they became better defensive player because of Williams.

“He always preaches defense and demands it,” Aminu said.

With the Hornets expected to select Kentucky power forward Anthony Davis with the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft on June 28, Williams is expected to be at the forefront with his development.

Williams, a 6-foot-8 forward during his nine-year NBA career, was a teammate of center Patrick Ewing with the New York Knicks for his first two seasons. When Williams played for the San Antonio Spurs from 1996-98, center David Robinson and forward Tim Duncan were his teammates.

“I’m not versed in all of the big man aspects, but I do know some things from being around other bigs like Patrick, David and Tim,” Williams said. “And yet I’m fortunate that we have my assistants Randy Ayers, Kevin (Hanson) and (director of athletic development) Carlos Daniel, who have been really good in helping our bigs improve.”

Williams said one of his mentors was Herb Williams, his teammate when they played for the Knicks. Williams, a 6-8 power forward, played 18 seasons in the league before getting into coaching.

“Herb was one of the bigs on our team, and he taught me how to be a pro,” Williams said. “He taught me footwork and how to work. You had no choice. Most of the veterans back then were in their 30s, so you had to listen and learn.”

At practices, Williams often conducts workouts involving post players where he’s throwing passes in the lane and evaluating post up moves with Ayers.

Off the court, Williams said they spend an enormous amount of evaluating film to make sure his centers and forwards aren’t picking up any bad habits.

“We spend a lot of time fundamentally developing their game as opposed to teaching guys how to make a crossover move,” Williams said. “Most guys can barely make a post-entry pass, so we spend a lot of time in our meetings talking about the little things.”

Mississippi State power forward Arnett Moultrie said he noticed Williams’ intense attention to detail last week during the Hornets’ draft prospect workouts. Moultrie is projected to be a first-round pick after averaging 15.8 points and 10.6 rebounds for the Bulldogs last season.

“He’s a hard-nosed coach and great teacher, and it was a learning experience for me,” Moultrie said.

UPCOMING WORKOUTS: After evaluating draft prospects at the Chicago draft combine last week, Williams said the Hornets are likely to have another round of draft prospect workouts, possibly next week that will involve point guards and shooting guards.

Williams said they don’t have an exact date yet because New Orleans General Manager Dell Demps is in Italy scouting European prospects at a combine.

Demps said last week they want to work out at least 10 more players, and they plan to bring in Davis at some point before the draft. The Hornets have the No. 1 overall pick and No. 10 in the first round.

“We’re going to bring some guys in because we’ve only had one workout,” Williams said. “Now after Chicago, guys can get an idea after watching them work out who they want to bring in.”